We the leadership team at Trinity (David, Durrel, Johnny) would like to update the church on some of the things that we have been working on this past year. We realize that we do not communicate clearly at times, and ask for your continued grace as we work together to grow as a team and as a church into what God wants us to be. We desire wholeheartedly to be humble, Godly men, worthy of your respect, and easily approachable. We need people to hold us accountable as does anyone else and ask that you, the church, would be willing and diligent in this. We would also like to thank the trustee team for all of their hard work on keeping the church building in order as well as the finances of the church. We also thank them for consistently supporting and working with the pastoral team to further the work of the ministry of the church.
First, we have been talking a lot about how we want to do outreach here at Trinity and are leaning very much towards small group and individual-based ministry rather than large, corporate event-based ministry. This means that we would like to see most of our ministry done by you either in your home or in the community and not at the church or with the church as a group, while still doing a few very specific and planned out corporate events as a body each year. This approach is Biblical (look at Jesus, the early church and Eph. 4:11-12) and more effective. We believe that God has prepared in advance, good works for us all to walk in (Eph.2:10) and that he has gifted each of us accordingly. If you have any questions please feel free to talk to David, Durrel, or Johnny.
Secondly, we have been discussing the remodeling of the kitchen and are hoping to see the project start sometime this year. The trustees, along with the building committee and the food committee, have approved a floor plan for the kitchen. The next step is to get prices together of some different options they are looking at after which we will have a better idea of how much the project may cost and will decide on a budget for the project. The current balance in the building fund is $42,600 and we have decided not to go into debt for the project. If this amount is insufficient we will need to raise the remainder of the funds prior to starting the project. One of the questions we will be asking ourselves is:
- What is going to be the long-term uses of a bigger, nice kitchen?
- How much do we feel we should spend on it while staying on mission and being a good steward of what the Lord has given us?
Thirdly, we have for more than a year been praying about and discussing the pros and cons of changing the church name. This first came up in conversations we have had with some of you about outreach and inviting people to church and how at times the name Mennonite can turn some people off because of misperceptions. We have even heard that at one time this church wasn’t an option for some of the current members simply because of the name and what it meant to you. We have spent a lot of time discussing and weighing this out along with the trustees’ team. When we first started our discussions we were split, not only on yes or no but on the reasons for the possible change. At that point, it didn’t seem like we would ever all agree. However, with time for prayer and to talk it through together as a team, with the advice and blessing of the trustee team and Phil Stutzman our overseer, we are all in agreement and are bringing this recommendation to the church. We would like to move forward with changing the name of the church to, “Trinity Christian Church” with “Prospect, Va” in smaller font underneath. One of the main reason for this change is that we don’t want misperceptions about our name to hinder people from visiting the church! No matter how much we would like people to understand that we are more than our name, some will never get past that. Our belief and mission are that if someone makes it through the doors of Trinity they will understand that we are much more than any name or denomination. How sad would it be if something so small as a word would hinder people from experiencing the fellowship in a body that truly loves and cares for the people it is reaching and the people who are already a part of the body? We believe that this name change will positively affect our outreach efforts and will allow for a much better reception into the communities we seek to serve. Although we will still remain a Mennonite church in a Mennonite conference, we do not look or operate like a lot of other Mennonite churches. For example, we do not follow strict dress codes (like the wearing of a head covering), and we don’t require people to believe in non-resistance to become members here (we let these decisions up to a person’s conscience). We in no way want to be misunderstood, we as a team do not feel ashamed about being Mennonite in any way. We simply believe that we have a better chance of getting to show people who we are if we aren’t labeled from the start.
Finally, we understand that this is the first time many of you have heard this. We realize that we will not all be of the same opinion and because of that we are going to give a one month period for you to voice any concerns or objections to this before we make it final. While the final decision ultimately rests with the leadership team of the church, we know that we are not infallible and that one of you with fresh eyes may be the one God has placed here to keep us from making a misstep. So, please do not hesitate to talk with us about this. Thank you for the trust you have given to us as leaders. We, with God’s help, will continue to strive to lead the best we know how in the wisdom and strength God provides.
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